The throne chamber was quiet again, but it wasn't the peaceful type of quiet.It was the kind that comes after a storm — when everyone is terrified to speak because they don't know what might happen next.
Aadi didn't feel triumphant.He didn't feel strong.He didn't even feel proud of what he did.
He just felt… tired.
Exhausted in a way that went beyond the body — deep in his soul.
He sat down on the broken steps of the altar, burying his face in his hands.The golden glow in his eyes faded, and he looked like a normal boy again — confused, hurting, and scared.
Rune walked toward him, slow and careful, like approaching someone who had been through hell.
"Hey," he said, voice gentle. "You with us?"
Aadi nodded weakly, not lifting his head.
"Yeah… I'm here."
But he didn't feel here.
His heart was still stuck on that memory — that burning city, that familiar voice, calling him son.
If it was real…If that was his past…
Why did they erase him?
Why did they hide him?
Why did they leave him alone in another world to suffer?
Someone Finally Breaks First
Of all of them, unexpectedly — Riva was the first to speak.
She sat on the floor in front of Aadi, so he couldn't look down anymore. She reached forward slowly, hesitantly, and placed her palm against his cheek.
He startled from her touch — not because he disliked it, but because he wasn't used to comfort.
Riva's voice trembled.
"Aadi… you're scaring yourself far more than you scared us."
Her eyes were glossy, not from fear — but from sadness.
"You think that what happened makes you dangerous. But what I saw… was someone fighting to stay in control."
Aadi clenched his jaw.
"That doesn't matter. I hurt people before. And if I lose control again—"
"Then we'll pull you back," Riva said without hesitation. "Even if we have to drag you back. You're not facing this alone."
Aadi shut his eyes tightly.He wanted to believe her — more than anything — but the fear was heavier than hope.
"I don't want to be a monster," he whispered.
Riva shook her head."You're not."
Rune sat down beside him with a groan of soreness.
"If you were a monster, you would have turned those armored freaks into dust. But you didn't. You held back."
Aria approached last, her tone soft but steady.
"And you protected us more than yourself. That isn't what monsters do."
Aadi swallowed hard.
Maybe they were right.Maybe he wasn't the danger — maybe the danger was everything that wanted him.
The Confession
Just as the room began to calm, Aria stepped forward again — expression conflicted.
"There's something I need to tell you," she said quietly.
Rune glanced up. "About what?"
Aria took a deep breath.
"About Aadi. I—I've been hiding something."
Aadi lifted his head slowly.Those words… instantly tightened something in his chest.
Riva frowned. "What do you mean hiding something?"
Aria looked at Aadi — directly — guilt heavy in her eyes.
"When we first met… I already knew your name."
Silence.
Aadi stared at her, numb.
Aria continued, voice almost breaking.
"The academy has an encrypted archive of forbidden records. I stumbled on one that warned about… an unknown heir. It didn't say who you were — but it had a mark. And when I met you, I saw the same mark on your wrist."
Aadi froze.
"You… followed me because of that?"
Aria shook her head desperately.
"At first, yes. I'm not going to lie. But after I got to know you — I chose you. Not the prophecy. Not the power. You."
But the damage was already done.
Aadi pulled back from her touch.
"So you knew something was wrong with me from the beginning. And you didn't say a word."
Aria's voice cracked.
"I was afraid you'd push me away."
Aadi laughed — a hollow, painful laugh.
"Ironic."
The Shiver of What Comes Next
Before anyone could say another word, the shattered doorway flickered — like air turning into glass for a moment — and a symbol appeared, burned into the stone by unseen magic:
🔱 The Crest of the Sun Kingdom
Rune's eyes widened.
"That's… impossible. They haven't been seen in decades."
Aria stepped closer, trembling.
"The Sun Kingdom… that's where the archives said the heir was taken from."
Aadi stared at the burning crest — a golden sun with bleeding rays.
His heartbeat thundered.
His memories… his sealed powers…And now a kingdom with a crest that burned through stone —
Everything was pointing to one truth:
He wasn't abandoned.He was stolen.
And the world that stole him had just found him again.